One night in the late autumn of September 1955, shortly after china was first awarded the title after the founding of the People's Republic of China, Mao Zedong, who lived in Fengze Garden in Zhongnanhai, could not sleep at all.
The smoke of the revolutionary war has dissipated, and Chairman Mao no longer needs to pick up lights in the Yan'an caves to fight at night and write a book, but he has just finished conferring titles on the generals, and his mind is full of thoughts.
Yan'an cave dwellings
Looking back at the bits and pieces since I joined the Communist Party of China and participated in the revolution, and the fact that as many as 6 of my relatives who have devoted themselves to the revolutionary cause have sacrificed their precious lives, a lot of emotions suddenly appeared in my stomach, and I didn't spit unhappy, and I didn't tell people that it was impossible to sleep.
Who can you share these sentiments with? After thinking about it, the time had reached 1:30 a.m., and Chairman Mao dialed a founding general and asked him: "If you haven't slept yet, can you come to me for a chat?" ”
The person who received Chairman Mao's call was Xiao Hua, the youngest of all the generals who had just been awarded the rank of general a few days ago, and who had been awarded the rank of general, and who had received the rank of general, was only 39 years old at the time.
Xiao Hua
It was a great coincidence that Xiao Hua could not sleep that night. When he was named the founding general at a young age, his heart was naturally full of mixed feelings. When he received Chairman Mao's phone call in the middle of the night, Xiao Hua was even more excited, and he hurried to Zhongnanhai Fengze Garden to see Chairman Mao.
Xiao Hua, who rushed to Fortress Garden, found that Chairman Mao was still so informal: he casually wore his nightgown and sat on the sofa smoking a cigarette.
Xiao Hua sat down, but the chairman could not sit down, slowly began to pace in the study, and picked up another cigarette to light. As the matches burned and extinguished, the room was filled with the familiar smell of tobacco.
Seeing Chairman Mao's demeanor when he smoked, Xiao Hua's thoughts could not help but drift back to the afternoon of the first meeting with Chairman Mao 26 years ago, and the memories of joining the Red Army and leaving his parents...
Enlisted in the Red Army
< h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="7" > bid farewell to his parents and followed Chairman Mao to join the Red Army</h1>
It was April 1929, when Comrade Mao Zedong led the Third Column of the Red Fourth Army to the town of Yijiang in Xingguo County, Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, to open a "training class for agrarian revolutionary cadres."
As the leader of the revolution, Chairman Mao has always attached great importance to the role played by the masses of the people in the revolutionary struggle, and through in-depth investigation and study of the countryside, he was able to draw such a famous revolutionary thesis as "the countryside surrounds the city". Grounding in the ground is a very valuable and excellent quality of Chairman Mao.
This time, when he was training young cadres at Yijiang Academy, he met a young boy in his early teens, who was the youngest in this student class, but he was also the most serious listener, clever and clever, and active in thinking. He immediately felt that this boy was not simple.
This little boy is Xiao Hua. Xiao Hua's parents, Xiao Nengzhen and Yan Zhaosheng, were also members of the Communist Party, and Xiao Nengzhen was also the chairman of the Xingguo County Soviet Government, and in order to cooperate with the local underground armed forces in the revolutionary struggle, their homes simply became transportation stations and conference rooms for the Xingguo County Party branch.
Under the influence of his parents, Xiao Hua, who was only 13 years old, had become a member of the xingguo county communist youth league county committee organization committee, and at the end of this year, he had become the secretary of the xingguo county party committee of the communist youth league with his outstanding performance, participated in the "xingguo rebellion", and followed the red army fighters to drive the Kuomintang defenders out of the xingguo county.
Children of the same age, the family is so poor that they are basically herding sheep and mowing grass, and the families who are more well-off are basically studying in private schools, and it is really rare for children like Xiao Hua to join the revolution at a young age. Chairman Mao left a message in his heart that this young man would certainly have a very good future in the future.
A year later, Chairman Mao led his troops to the town of Yijiang in Xingguo County again. When talking to local cadres, the other party mentioned that a 14-year-old secretary of the youth league county party committee was very good at work, and he suddenly remembered the young man who listened to his lectures last year.
Chairman Mao is at the former site of the Yijiang Academy
When the guards came to him, Chairman Mao smiled, and it was he who was the young and promising secretary of the regimental county party committee.
After some talking, Chairman Mao learned that this was a 15-year-old child who had attended school for 7 years and participated in progressive activities at that time, and such a child's ideological consciousness had far surpassed that of his peers.
Chairman Mao believed in his own judgment, Xiao Hua was a malleable talent, and Chairman Mao's cordiality and sincerity also touched the young Xiao Hua, who was no longer restrained, but naturally chatted with Chairman Mao, introduced his family situation and the deeds of participating in the revolution, and Chairman Mao became more and more happy.
Chairman Mao is 23 years older than Xiao Hua, and the two are like a father and son, and the friendship between the two is often like glue.
As long as Chairman Mao had time to come to Xingguo, he must make Sure that Xiao Hua would come to talk to him at night, and sometimes until the middle of the night, Chairman Mao simply left Xiao Hua for the night - just like in September 1955.
The small Xingguo County was not enough to make Xiao Huacai, and Chairman Mao knew it. He wanted Xiao Hua to join the Red Army and formally join the revolution, but he was afraid that Xiao Hua's parents would not be willing to do so, so he asked Xiao Hua to go back to talk to his parents and seek the opinions of his family.
Mao Zedong
But unexpectedly, Xiao Hua, who was a little devil, actually made up his own mind, did not tell his parents, but came back and directly told Chairman Mao, his parents agreed, and I went with you to become a soldier.
The young man he particularly liked became a fresh force in the Red Army, and Chairman Mao was overjoyed, so Xiao Hua followed the large troops of the Red Army and set off.
However, Xiao Hua's mother, Yan Zhaosheng, caught up with the Red Army at this time and said that she had no idea that Xiao Hua was going to join the army, and if Xiao Hua had not told his neighbor Grandma about joining the army, Yan Zhaosheng would still have been kept in the dark.
As a member of the Communist Party, she knew the cruelty of the revolutionary struggle, and of course she supported her son's revolution, but she wanted to leave without a word, and there was no door.
After half a day, it was this boy himself who was too bold, bypassed his parents' permission, and took matters into his own hands to join the Red Army, which made Chairman Mao cry and laugh.
Old photo of Xiao Hua enlisting in the army
Yan Zhaosheng knew Chairman Mao, and she was worried that Xiao Hua would cause him trouble, so Chairman Mao smiled and comforted her: "This little devil has a very correct idea, now he dares to desert, the future is immeasurable!" Comrade Zhao Sheng, he follows us to the revolution, you can rest assured! ”
Xiao Hua accepted the cloth shoes sent by his mother, hugged and said goodbye to his mother, turned his head and followed Chairman Mao and the Red Army team. He did not dare to look back at his mother, and joined the army without telling his parents, that is, he was afraid that his parents would not be willing, and he himself would not be willing to give up his parents, and he was reluctant to this family.
However, this trip was separated from his family.
Xiao Hua (first from left)
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="15" > four family members who gave their lives for the revolution</h1>
"Sit down!"
At one and a half o'clock in the middle of the night, a cordial and familiar call from Chairman Mao, Xiao Hua, who was already the founding general at this time, was pulled back to his thoughts. He hurried to shake chairman Mao's hand and then sat down on the sofa.
"I can't sleep today, I'm a little moved, I want to talk to you, a young man, and talk about family affairs!" Chairman Mao's opening remarks to himself never missed the word "home."
Xiao Hua relaxed. He had thought that Chairman Mao wanted to talk to him about the award of medals, but Chairman Mao just wanted to talk about family affairs, which made him less burdened. From the beginning of knowing Chairman Mao, he talked to himself most about family affairs, and most of the topics were familiar with them.
Chairman Mao
Unexpectedly, Chairman Mao's words turned sharply, and his tone suddenly became heavy:
"You and I are really murderous!" For the revolution, your family sacrificed a total of four people, and my family is more than your family, sacrificing six people! ”
Xiao Hua looked at Chairman Mao's expression and was silent in pain. He looked at the chairman's expression as if it were the last time he had looked when he was separated from his mother.
He always remembered the last time he saw his mother, who waved her hand to say goodbye to him, and this parting was forever.
After the Red Army went out on the expedition, Xiao Nengzhen, Yan Zhaosheng and his wife, as well as Xiao Hua's other family members, remained in Xingguo County to continue to support our party's underground struggle. However, with the changes in the situation of the revolutionary struggle, the Kuomintang troops repeatedly invaded the Central Soviet Region, and the rejuvenation of the country fell into the hands of the enemy from time to time.
As soon as the Red Army drove out the White Army, the White Army made a comeback, the two sides fought fiercely, and the people followed them on a roller coaster.
In October 1934, the fifth "anti-encirclement and suppression" failed, and the Central Soviet Region was forced to start the Long March. The 18-year-old Xiao Hua joined the Red Army and began the Long March of no one before or after the ancients.
However, his hometown of Xingguo, which belonged to the strategic withdrawal of the Central Red Army, was taken over by the Kuomintang army, and the people and suspected Communists in this area carried out crazy revenge and massacres, and a bloody rain and wind covered the entire Xingguo County.
In order to ensure the safety of the children, Xiao Nengzhen and Yan Zhaosheng and Xiao Hua's 4-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son were placed in the custody of the villagers, and together with Xiao Hua's two uncles, Xiao Nengyan and Xiao Nenglong, they moved to the mountains of Jiangxi with the remaining Xingguo Soviet government to continue the guerrilla struggle.
Since the enemy controlled all the main roads of communication, the guerrillas had to hide in high-mountain, densely forested villages to deal with the enemy, where they were sparsely populated, ravines and terrain was dangerous. The advantage is that the enemy cannot catch up, and the disadvantage is that the contact with the outside world is almost severed.
In January 1935, the enemy's "liquidation and suppression" efforts gradually increased, and the guerrillas transferred to Jiushanling were seriously insufficient in combat effectiveness due to the shortage of food. Many women without guns had to help the guerrillas go down the mountain to collect food and necessities.
Yan Zhaosheng, who is experienced in the struggle, took the initiative to apply to go to collect food, and the process was smooth and the masses were very cooperative.
However, on the way back to the team carrying grain, she ran into the Kuomintang army patrolling the mountains, the enemy could not help but pull out a gun and fight, Yan Zhaosheng hurried to run into the dense forest, but how could her legs run through bullets no matter how fast, after a continuous burst of gunfire, Comrade Xiao Hua's mother sacrificed her precious life for the revolution.
Anti-purge
In this year, his father Xiao Nengzhen and two uncles, Xiao Nenglong and Xiao Nengyan, successively sacrificed themselves in guerrilla warfare and on the battlefield behind enemy lines, and the XiaoHua family members who participated in the revolution with their families practiced their loyalty to the revolutionary cause and the Communist Party of China with their lives.
Xiao Hua, who was far away on the Long March Road, did not learn the news of the death of his relatives until the Red Army team arrived in northern Shaanxi, and he couldn't help but burst into tears.
Compared with Xiao Hua, Chairman Mao' family, as the leader of the revolution, also threw themselves into the revolutionary cause one after another, and as many as six of his family members died because of the revolutionary cause:
His younger sister Mao Zejian, his younger brother Mao Zeqin, Mao Zemin, and nephew Mao Chuxiong all died in the struggle against the Kuomintang.
Mao Zedong's family
Even his two closest relatives, his wife and eldest son, were no exception:
The first wife, Yang Kaihui, was arrested and killed by the reactionary warlord He Jian in Hunan, and fought with Mao Anying, the eldest son of Yang Kaihui, and fought with the Chinese People's Volunteer Army to resist the United States and aid Korea, encountered the US bombing of the headquarters of the Dayudong Volunteer Army, and was surrounded by incendiary bombs dropped by THE US military aircraft in the sea of fire in order to rescue the documents, leaving the soul of the hero forever on the battlefield of the Korean Peninsula.
He is both a father and a son, but also a fellow man. Chairman Mao and Xiao Hua, who had never been friends for many years, both came from revolutionary families, and their relatives went forward to sacrifice their lives for the country, which gave their feelings a deeper resonance. Over the years around Chairman Mao, Xiao Hua learned too much.
There are many proud disciples of Chairman Mao, but none of them are like Xiao Hua, who took him with him when he was a teenager, and personally demonstrated, taught by example, and heard and heard, which can be regarded as Chairman Mao's "disciples." Judging by his later achievements, he was undoubtedly very lucky.
Xiao Hua (middle)
The revolution has not yet succeeded, and comrades still have to work hard. The successive sacrifices of his family gave Xiao Hua a firm belief in turning grief into strength, allowing him to devote all his anger to the battlefield.
Xiao Hua, who avenged his relatives and fought for the people, coupled with Chairman Mao's favor, became more and more unstoppable in his general style.
At the age of 16, he served as the political commissar of the Red Army, at the age of 18 he accompanied the army on the Long March, at the age of 20 he experienced all kinds of difficulties and dangers to complete the long march, at the age of 22 he served as the commander of the Anti-Japanese Column of the East County of the Eighth Route Army, at the age of 25, he served as the director of the Political Department of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army and concurrently served as the political commissar of the Shandong Military Region, and together with the commander Marshal Luo Ronghuan led the anti-Japanese struggle of the army and the people in Shandong.
Luo Ronghuan
Along with the rocket-like speed of ascension, it was his combat experience and military level, and after experiencing the baptism of many big battles and vicious battles, Xiao Hua gradually began to have the ability to be independent. Especially in the Long March of the Red Army, Xiao Hua fully demonstrated his military ability -
In March 1935, Xiao Hua commanded the battle to forcibly occupy the mouth of the Wujiang River, and the "advance team" led by him successfully repelled the Kuomintang army that was entangled with the main force of our army through flexible interspersed tactics and maneuvered with the enemy, and covered the smooth crossing of the Wujiang River by the main force of our army.
In the subsequent Battles of Sidu Chishui and Lazikou, Xiao Hua, who still led the advance team of the Red Army, once again repelled the enemy's tidal offensive and cleared the way for the Central Red Army to successfully reach the base area in northern Shaanxi.
And Xiao Hua, who has done all this, is actually less than 20 years old!
Xiao Hua (right)
During the Liberation War, Xiao Hua led his troops to open up the Base Area of Liaodong and commanded the Third Column of the Northeast Field Army to maneuver with the enemy in the Liaodong region and gradually stabilize its position.
Xiao Hua commanded the defense of Benxi, attacked Anshan, took these two major industrial towns in the northeast, and annihilated more than 20,000 enemy troops in less than two years, laying the foundation for the Liaoshen Campaign of the Northeast Decisive Battle that began in September 1948.
In the Liaoshen Campaign, Xiao Hua, who was the first front committee member of the Northeast Military Region, was paired with General Xiao Jinguang, and the "Second Xiao" combination was full of power, besieging Changchun to force Zheng Dongguo to surrender and Changchun to be peacefully liberated, and then participated in the Battle of Pingjin, with outstanding merits.
In March 1949, the Northeast Field Army was renamed the Fourth Field Army, and Xiao Hua served as the political commissar of the 13th Corps of the Four Fields.
In September 1955, the first general of the New China was solemnly awarded the title of general in Beijing, and the then 39-year-old General Xiao Hua was awarded the rank of general, who was also the youngest general to receive this rank. From the fledgling "Hua Tsai" to the founding general today, Xiao Hua's growth process did not disappoint Chairman Mao, who had always been optimistic about him.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="26" > respectfully follow Chairman Mao's teachings and work hard for the country</h1>
However, no matter how fast Xiao Hua grew up, no matter how well he fought, no matter how high his military rank was, in Chairman Mao's view, he was also a child who had not yet grown up, a teenager who had been brought out of Xingguo County.
After the Battle of Pingjin, Chairman Mao held a banquet at Xiangshan to wash the dust of the senior generals of Siye, and when he saw Xiao Hua, Chairman Mao said cordially: "Xiao Hua, you and I have not seen each other for many years, but my ears are very smart!" You are a commander for a while, a political commissar for a while, a time for Shandong, a time for a time in the northeast, and you are quite big! Everyone laughed happily.
At that moment, just in time.
Late at night, it was more than three o'clock in the morning, and Xiao Hua accompanied Chairman Mao to chat all night, just like in those days, talking about everything, like father and son.
"It's been a long time!" Talking to you in the middle of the night, some shouldn't be! ”
Chairman Mao was somewhat apologetic; he could not sleep in the middle of the night and suffered from insomnia with Xiao Hua, and he was a little too careless about this founding general whom he had seen since childhood.
"It's okay chairman, every time I talk to you, I can learn a lot!"
Chairman Mao nodded, looked at Xiao Hua's somewhat tired face, and said to him in a serious tone: "Although you are already a general, you are still very young, the road is still long, and you must take care of yourself in the future!" ”
Xiao Hua nodded, and the chairman smiled reassuringly. It was night, and they had not slept all night, but they were able to talk to each other for a night, so that they were in a very good mood.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Xiao Hua followed Chairman Mao's teachings and continued to devote himself to army building. He devoted himself to reviewing and summing up the glorious traditions of the people's army in the revolutionary struggle for many years, published many important articles, and also participated in the formulation of the "Regulations on the Political Work of the Chinese People's Liberation Army" after the founding of the People's Republic of China.
In the years since, the regulations have been continuously improved and supplemented, and have become the basis for our army to standardize and guide political work, and have greatly strengthened the ideological and political construction of the troops.
He has said many times: "I can achieve today's achievements without the care of the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao, and it is the greatest honor in my life to be able to receive Chairman Mao's attention!" ”
Not only the literary style, Xiao Hua was inspired by Chairman Mao's "Seven Laws and Long March", and the "Long March Suite Song" composed by Xiao Hua has also become a classic of our army's singing.
In 1964, the thirtieth anniversary of the beginning of the Long March by the Red Army, Xiao Hua was a witness to the Long March and took the initiative to apply for the creation of literary and artistic works on the Long March. However, at that time, because of his many years of military career, he was overworked and ill, and his body was very weak.
Long March poems
During the recuperation period in Hangzhou, Xiao Hua insisted on reading and writing every day, sleeping and forgetting to eat, found a large number of materials, and after repeated comparison and refinement, he believed that the form of poetry was most suitable for expressing the great historical event of the Long March.
The poetry is rich in emotion, the language is beautiful and condensed, and the most important thing is that it is rhythmic and catchy, which can concentrate on expressing and summarizing the majesty of "the Red Army is not afraid of expeditions and difficulties".
After Xiao Hua's months-long efforts, the "Long March Group Poems" with the general title of "The Red Army Is Not Afraid of Expeditionary Difficulties" was published, which has a total of 12 poems, each capital highly condensed expression of the indomitable courage of the Red Army soldiers during the Long March and the determination of "thousands of rivers and mountains just waiting for idleness".
The Comrades-in-Arms Song and Dance Troupe also composed 10 of the 12 poems, and compiled ten revolutionary songs with a high degree of singing, such as "Four Crossing the Red Water Surprise Soldier", "Crossing the Snowy Mountain Meadow", and "Assembly Division".
In this way, the "Long March Group Poem" became the "Long March Group Song", and on August 1, 1965, the Founding Day, the "Long March Group Song" was officially performed in Beijing, and then performed throughout the country, causing great repercussions.
"Long March Suite Song"
Chairman Mao had also seen the performance of "Long March Suite" many times, and he did not forget to introduce the work to the people around him while watching it, and the author was General Xiao Hua, and everyone who listened to it was full of admiration for Xiao Hua.
Premier Zhou Enlai once commented that only those who have experienced the Long March and have artistic passion can write such a great work as "Long March Suite".
For half a century, Xiao Hua's "Long March Suite" has been sung for a long time, and the spirit of the Long March conveyed by it has inspired generations of Chinese to build socialism and serve the motherland, and has become an immortal classic in literary and artistic works.
Sure enough, as Chairman Mao said, General Xiao Hua threw great enthusiasm into the construction of all fronts of New China, especially on the cultural front.
"Wen can lift the pen to settle the world, and Wu can go to ma to fix Qiankun." It is worthy of Chairman Mao's childhood to see a big member of the fierce generals, a member of the lucky generals!
Xiao Hua (left)
In August 1985, General Xiao Hua died of illness at the age of 69. Our Party's evaluation of General Xiao Hua is as follows:
"When he was a teenager, Comrade Xiao Hua was determined to 'fight all his life for the new life of the toiling masses of the world,' and in the history of the party and the people's army, he was known for being young and promising, capable of writing and martial arts, and with his super military ability and creative political work, he made indelible contributions to the building of our people's army and the establishment of the cultural front."
In the "Long March Suite" he composed, there are two sentences that best summarize the life of General Xiao Hua: "Thousands of hammers and hundreds of refinements are not afraid of difficulties, and revolutionary ideals are higher than heaven."
When we commemorate General Xiao Hua, we hope to learn from his lofty revolutionary ideals and patriotic spirit, continue to forge ahead, blaze new trails, face difficulties, work hard in the face of difficulties, and make unremitting efforts to realize the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation!
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="34" > references</h1>
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Hu Tian was the political commissar of the division at the age of 17 and the commander of the column at the age of 22, and there were too many legends in his life[N].China Military Network, 2019-08-12.
ZHANG Shujun. Speech at the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Comrade Xiao Hua[R].Beijing: Central Party History Research Office, 2016-01-27.
Xiong Jialin. Xiao Hua: Battlefield Conquest Wen Wu Zongheng (Genealogy of Heroes and Martyrs for National Rejuvenation)[N].People's Daily, 2019-11-13.