General Cheng Qian was a native of Hunan, he was a fellow villager with Mao Zedong, and he was 11 years older than Mao Zedong. Mao Zedong once said: "On the division of generations, Gong Gong is an old predecessor." ”
Cheng Qian was admitted to Yuelu Academy very early, the highest school in Hunan, and Mao Zedong was much later than him. Cheng Was the commander-in-chief of the Hunan Protectorate Army during the Xinhai Revolution, and Mao Zedong was only 16 years old at the time, so he abandoned Wen to join the army and joined the Sixth Army under Cheng Qian.
Therefore, Cheng Qian was still the commander of Mao Zedong's division, and Mao Zedong was an ordinary soldier under him. At that time, cheng Qian could not have known Mao Zedong, and Mao Zedong had admired him for a long time.
During the peace talks between the Kuomintang and the Republic, Mao Zedong personally went to Chongqing to participate in the negotiations, and Cheng Qian was a general under Chiang Kai-shek at this time. Only then did he know his relationship with Mao Zedong. In 1949, Chiang Kai-shek's army was defeated, and Cheng Qian persuaded General Chen Mingren to revolt in Hunan, and when Chiang Kai-shek learned of it, his blood pressure soared.
Mao Zedong was so pleased that Hunan could avoid war, and he led leading Communist cadres to the Beijing railway station to meet Cheng Qian. Mao Zedong said: "Your students are waiting for you. ”
Mao Zedong once invited Cheng Qianzhongnanhai to take a boat tour, Cheng Qian sat in the boat, and Mao Zedong personally rocked the oar to row the boat. In Mao Zedong's life, the person who could make him so respectful, except for his father-in-law Yang Changji, I am afraid that Cheng Qian was the first person.
In this regard, Cheng Qian was very surprised, he did not understand, as a general of the defeated army of the Kuomintang, why he was treated so courteously by Mao Zedong.
Mao Zedong knew in his heart that Cheng Qian was a person who had made great achievements.
After the founding of New China, Mao Zedong often visited Mr. Cheng Qian, who was the chairman of Hunan Province, and cared deeply about his life, Cheng Qian once said: "The Communist Party does not dismantle bridges by rivers, and I do not dismantle bridges from rivers." ”
The deep friendship between Mao Zedong and General Cheng Qian became a good story for Mao Zedong to communicate with people outside the party.
In this article, I will take a look at the past events of the great leaders Chairman Mao and General Cheng Qian, remember history, and remember the great men.
Mao Zedong made countless friends in his life, and among these friends, there were many fellow villagers from Hunan, which shows that Mao Zedong attached great importance to the feeling of hometown.
This place in Hunan has been full of talents since the ancients, and the Yuelu Academy outside Changsha City has a sub-door association: "Only Chu has talent, Yu Si is sheng." "It can be seen that the confidence in it has reached its peak.
Among Mao Zedong's Hunan compatriots, Cheng Qian was one of them. Cheng Qian, the character Songyun, was born in 1882 in a middle-class peasant family, Cheng Qian began to read the "Four Books and Five Classics" from the age of nine, and was admitted to Xiucai at the age of 16. This was rare among the generals of the Kuomintang.
In 1899, Cheng Qian came to Changsha City to study, and the next year he was admitted to Yuelu Academy.
Cheng Zhi was so famous in Yuelu Academy that he later wrote some neat ancient poems from time to time in the war-torn era, which reflected the solid basic skills he had practiced in Yuelu Academy.
In 1903, China's national strength was weakening, and it was bullied and humiliated by foreign enemies, and some young people with lofty ideals threw themselves into the army and actively joined the army to serve the country. In the same year, Cheng Qian was admitted to the Hunan Wubei Academy, and the following year, he went to Japan to study.
During his time in Japan, he joined the League led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen and devoted himself to serving the country.
In 1911, the Wuchang Uprising, the Xinhai Revolution broke out, Cheng Qian had returned to Tianjin by this time; he heard the news of the uprising, immediately rushed to the front line in Wuhan, and assisted in commanding the artillery regiment of the rebel army. Cheng Qian lived up to expectations and made full use of a small number of shells to severely damage the Qing army, winning the admiration of Huang Xing, the commander-in-chief of the rebel army.
Also in 1911, Mao Zedong came to Changsha from Dongshan Academy and heard the news of the Xinhai Revolution. At that time, the situation in Changsha was very tense, and various revolutionary activities in the city were one after another, and after several days of consideration, Mao Zedong decided to join the revolutionary army of Li Yuanhong, the governor of Hubei Province.
They had heard that the streets of Hankou were wet and should wear oil-leather shoes. Mao Zedong remembered that a friend had such shoes, this man was a soldier in the New Army in Changsha, Mao Zedong got up to look for his friend, but was blocked by the guards at the door.
It turned out that two of the forces in the New Army had surrendered to the rebels, and when Mao Arrived at the camp, the two units were ready for ammunition and ready to attack Changsha. Because Mao Zedong was tall, he was suddenly favored by the officers of the New Army, so he was taken into the army.
One Sunday morning, Mao Zedong's new army began to attack changsha, and after several hours of fierce fighting, the troops marched into the governor's palace in Changsha. Everywhere the new army went, there were all kinds of white flags indicating revolution, and Hunan declared independence.
Due to the turbulent situation, the school could no longer open normally, so Mao Zedong stayed in the new army, conducting regular training every day and doing chores the rest of the time. For example, some futons, bed boards, etc. were carried for officers, and some people had to go to distant places to give officers tea water.
The life of the New Army disappointed Mao Zedong, and many soldiers in the New Army went to eat, drink and have fun after receiving their salaries; and Mao Zedong never spent a penny indiscriminately, and every month, Mao Zedong spent two yuan to buy some food and water, and reading the newspaper became his greatest enjoyment.
Mao Zedong had the characteristic of reading newspapers, that is, he did not miss a word, and he not only read many news, current affairs and various articles from the newspapers, but also was able to study social issues from these articles. It was at this time that he read some articles about socialism, and although the material was chaotic and of poor quality, Mao Zedong found joy and inspiration in it with his extraordinary acumen. He believes that socialism is the best theory in the world to save mankind at present.
The army had nothing to do, so Mao Zedong had to break away from the army and return to the road of study. He was admitted to the Hunan Provincial First Normal School, which is free of charge and specializes in training teachers for primary schools across Hunan.
According to relevant information, Mao Zedong's unit at that time was later incorporated into the Sixth Army under Cheng Qian, but Cheng Qian did not know Mao Zedong, and Mao Zedong should know Cheng Qian, after all, Cheng Qian was a well-known figure.
At that time, Sun Yat-sen led an army to resist the attack of the Beiyang warlord Duan Qirui, and the commander of the Xiang Army under Sun Yat-sen was General Cheng Qian, and Cheng Qian was supported by the three armies, and Mao Zedong must have been very clear about these things.
However, Cheng Qian certainly did not think that there would be such an outstanding "soldier" under his command, and it was not until the later negotiations in Chongqing that Cheng Qian learned of these previous events, and he was also very pleased that Mao Zedong and he were fellow Hunan compatriots.
After the Xinhai Revolution, Cheng Qian was repeatedly promoted by Sun Yat-sen and has been developing in the military circles, during the Kuomintang period, Cheng Qian was the commander of the First Theater, and at the same time, Mao Zedong's development was even more amazing.
When Mao Zedong was in hunan provincial first normal school, he became a student leader because of his strong propaganda and organizational skills. The "Cultural Book Club" he founded united many people.
In 1920, under the influence of Marxist theory and the Russian Revolution, Mao Zedong established a revolutionary organization in Changsha and participated in the founding congress of the Communist Party in 1921. In October of the same year, Mao Zedong returned to Hunan to establish the Hunan Committee of the Communist Party of China and organized the publication of the weekly newspaper "New Era".
In 1927, after the defeat of the Great Revolution, Mao Zedong led the famous "Autumn Harvest Uprising" and created the first workers' and peasants' armed force of the Chinese revolution. In 1931, Mao Zedong was elected Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the Chinese Soviet.
After that, although he was temporarily deprived of leadership for a period of time, during the Long March, he re-established his leadership position, and since then, the Red Army has overcome difficulties and reached northern Shaanxi in victory, finally making the Communist Party a political force to be reckoned with on the Chinese stage.
After Japan's surrender in 1945, Mao Zedong personally went to Chongqing to participate in the negotiations for domestic peace, which attracted national attention. At that time, General Cheng Qian was also in Chongqing, and he personally went to the "Guiyuan Garden" to meet Mao Zedong, and what Cheng Qian did not expect was that this LEADER of the CCP was actually a soldier under his command.
Mao Zedong was very humble to his "old boss", reminisced with Cheng Qian, and also made a special trip to visit Cheng Qian, which made Cheng Qian very moved, and he was impressed by Mao Zedong's leadership style and broad mind.
It was also at this time that Cheng Qian developed a good feeling for the Communists led by Mao Zedong, which also laid the groundwork for him to resolutely revolt and throw himself into the Communist Party.
Many years later, when Cheng Qian talked about the meeting in Chongqing that year, he still said:
"I already had a 'tacit understanding' with Mao Zedong in private, that is, to always have a bright heart."
After the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan, Chiang Kai-shek dispatched troops to prepare to suppress the Communists, and before the ink of the "Double Tenth Agreement" in Chongqing had dried, he ordered the army to attack the Liberated Areas. Contrary to expectations, the war ahead did not develop in the direction of Chiang Kai-shek's favor. The emergence of defeat made Chiang Kai-shek suddenly want to adopt the policy of "family world" to stabilize the military's heart.
Chiang Kai-shek started in Hunan with Cheng Qian and Chen Mingren, a pair of teachers and students, to take charge, which is the so-called "family world" stabilization strategy.
Cheng Qian was the commander of the division and the chairman of Hunan Province, and Chen Mingren held military power, and the two had a teacher-student friendship with each other and restrained each other.
At that time, although Cheng Qian and Chen Mingren were nominally teacher-student relations, the relationship was far less intimate. When Chen Mingren first applied for the Guangzhou Martial Arts Academy, he was hired by Cheng Qian. Cheng Qian is the principal of the Wushu Academy, and the two are both fellow villagers and teachers and students, and their relationship is nothing more than that. However, Cheng Qian took advantage of this only teacher-student friendship to persuade Chen Mingren to abandon the dark and surrender to the ming, and lead the army to revolt.
Speaking of Chen Mingren, everyone is no stranger, he successfully commanded the Kuomintang's Siping Defense Battle in the northeast, which frustrated the only all-out offensive of the Fourth Field Army of the People's Liberation Army. In the Battle of Siping, Chen Mingren made a name for himself, and subsequently, he was promoted to commander of the Seventh Corps, and Chiang Kai-shek personally summoned him and awarded him the Order of the Blue Sky and White Sun.
However, just when Chen Mingren was a little fluttery, Chen Cheng suddenly sued him, saying that he used American-aided rice to build fortifications, which caused surprise among friends, so Chiang Kai-shek relieved Chen Mingren of his military powers.
Chen Mingren could not stand this sudden love and blow, and was once depressed, just when he was discouraged and wasted time, Cheng Qian's enlightenment led him to embark on the glorious road of throwing himself into the revolution.
At the beginning of Chen Mingren's uprising, Cheng Qianxin was also uncertain in his heart, "and", he himself has been listed as a war criminal by the Communist Party, will the Communist Party settle accounts in the future? Fight, at that time the general trend of the Kuomintang had gone, and the Lord and the main voice were the main voices.
Later, Cheng Qian could only say: "Regarding peace and war, we should take the will of the people as the right thing to do." ”
Before the Uprising in Changsha, Hunan, Chiang Kai-shek had given Chen Mingren a secret order to hold Changsha to the death of his entire army, otherwise, he would retreat to western Hunan and execute all the people who were in the lord and the lord before retreating.
At that time, Bai Chongxi led heavy troops to monitor Chen Mingren and ordered Chen Mingren to take drastic measures against Cheng Qian if necessary. At this time, Chen Mingren had been persuaded by Cheng Qian to plot an uprising.
As soon as Chen Mingren arrived in Changsha, Cheng Qian invited him to his home for a secret conversation, and Chen Mingren still obeyed the words of the division commander Cheng Qian. Cheng Qian frankly stated his plan, that is, to cooperate with the Communist Party to shorten the course of the war, preserve the vitality of the country, and avoid the destruction of life in his hometown.
Chen Mingren had long heard of Cheng Qian's advocacy of peace, and now that he was arranged to Cheng Qian's side, he was secretly glad in his heart, and now he heard Cheng Qian reveal his heart to him. Chen Mingren immediately expressed his willingness to follow Cheng Qian's uprising. Chen Mingren was more thoughtful, he said that he wanted to contact Cheng Qian in a single line, and in public he still said that he insisted on the main battle and only told the truth in private.
Once, a friend of Cheng Qian came to visit, Cheng Qian took a friend to see Chen Mingren, only to see Chen Mingren mouth a "main battle to the end", which made Cheng Qian very embarrassed, and later, Cheng Qian remembered Chen Mingren's agreement with him, and only then did he admire Chen Mingren's caution.
In June 1949, Cheng Qian and Chen Mingren drafted a "memorandum" expressing their independence from the Kuomintang and accepting the "8-point" peace plan proposed by the CCP. When Mao Zedong learned of this, he immediately sent a telegram replying: He was "extremely sympathetic to them for their determination to adopt the policy of opposing Chiang Kai-shek and Guizhou and peacefully resolving the Hunan issue."
He also instructed them: "In case of oppression by the Gui clan, Sir can handle everything expediently." ”
On August 4, 1949, Cheng Qian and Chen Mingren telegraphed an uprising, which shook the whole country.
Mao Zedong and Cheng Qian had always maintained frequent contact, and after he knew that Cheng Qian and Chen Mingren had revolted, he specially called Cheng Qian to express his congratulations.
Someone once asked Mao Zedong why General Cheng Qian did not revolt when the People's Liberation Army crossed the river and attacked the Kuomintang on both sides. Mao Zedong said that although Cheng Qian had a large official position, he did not have a few soldiers under his command, and Chen Mingren did have soldiers, but he was suppressed by Bai Chongxi, so they had to wait until the People's Liberation Army crossed the river and wiped out the Kuomintang army before they could revolt.
General Cheng Qian had great influence in the Kuomintang, and if Cheng Qian could be elected vice president and Chiang Kai-shek stepped down, the peace talks might be successful.
From Mao Zedong's words, we can see Mao Zedong's understanding and concern for Cheng Qian and Chen Mingren. On the eve of the Cheng Qian uprising, Mao Zedong ordered the People's Liberation Army troops several times to deal a heavy blow to the enemy besieging Hunan to ensure the victory of the peaceful uprising in Hunan.
In the end, Mao Zedong got his wish and avoided the devastation of war in his hometown.
After the Changsha uprising, those who followed Cheng Qian and Chen Mingren's uprising were treated generously. In August 1949, Mao Zedong invited Cheng Qian and Chen Mingren to attend the First National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and on September 7, Cheng Qian and Chen Mingren arrived in Beiping.
Mao Zedong wanted to personally go to the train station to pick up the dive, and the secretary next to Mao Zedong said not to go, mao Zedong was very angry after hearing this, and said:
"We're fellow countrymen and we've read books together in the past. He is my personal friend. Are your friends coming, and you are asking someone else to pick them up? ”
Mao Zedong took his relationship with Cheng Qian very important, which surprised those present. Cheng Qian and Chen Mingren were at the Beiping Railway Station, and they actually saw Mao Zedong coming to pick up the station, and they were greatly surprised, Cheng Qian was so excited that he did not know what to say, and the tears flowed down the brush.
After Mao Zedong and Cheng Qian exchanged greetings, they shook Chen Mingren's hand and said that he was brave in fighting and brave in peace.
Chen Mingren, who had severely frustrated the People's Liberation Army in Siping, did not expect to be treated with courtesy by Mao Zedong, and he was also deeply impressed. Mao Zedong invited the two of them to their homes as guests, told each other about their parting feelings, and everyone drank happily.
On September 19, 1949, Mao Zedong was visiting the Temple of Heaven Park, Liu Bocheng, Chen Yi, and Su Yu followed Mao Zedong around, Cheng Qian and Chen Mingren were also present, and when everyone arrived at the Prayer Hall, Mao Zedong suddenly summoned Chen Mingren to take a group photo, Chen Mingren was momentarily helpless and hesitated; Chen Yi hurriedly pulled Chen Mingren over, and Chen Mingren respectfully took a picture with Mao Zedong.
On September 21, 1949, the first plenary session of the Chinese Political Consultative Conference was held, and Cheng Qian and Chen Mingren attended the meeting as special representatives, and Chen Mingren also spoke at the meeting, denouncing Chiang Kai-shek as not only revolutionary, but also counter-revolutionary, and the students of the Whampoa Military Academy and the people of the whole country should overthrow him...
It is said that Chiang Kai-shek heard Chen Mingren's speech in Taiwan, and his blood pressure exceeded 200, and he could not figure out how a loyal general like Chen Mingren could defect to the Communist Party.
During the meeting, Mao Zedong asked Chen Mingren about his future plans, whether he wanted to join the army or politics, Chen Mingren expressed his willingness to lead the troops, and later, Mao Zedong let him participate in the battle against bandits in Guangxi, and Chen Mingren won a huge victory.
At the founding ceremony, Mao Zedong let Cheng Qian and Chen Mingren ascend to the viewing platform of the Tiananmen Tower.
At the founding ceremony, Mao Zedong had great respect for Cheng Qian, and he did not forget to chat with Cheng Qian, Cheng Qiangang wanted to have a good chat with Mao Zedong, but Mao Zedong was really too busy to take care of every opportunity, Cheng Qian just opened the conversation box, he was interrupted by Zhou Enlai, who rushed to report on his work, he saw Mao Zedong hurriedly extinguish his cigarette and walked out of the lounge, thinking to himself, It is not easy to be a chairman, and he does not even have the kung fu to smoke a cigarette.
Although Mao Zedong was very busy, as long as he had time, he would still find Cheng To sneak in to chat.
In the autumn of 1952, Mao Zedong sent someone to take Cheng Qian to Zhongnanhai, and after dinner, Mao Zedong let Cheng Qian sit in the middle of the boat, he and the staff sat at both ends, Cheng Qian said, I will row; Mao Zedong said you are a guest, I will row. With that, Mao Zedong rowed up his boat and admired the royal beauty with Cheng Qian.
At this scene, Cheng Qian was very moved. This boat trip to Zhongnanhai made a deep impression on Cheng Qian.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, General Cheng Qian actively participated in the administration and discussion of state affairs, which was valued by Mao Zedong. In 1952, Cheng Qian was appointed chairman of the Hunan Provincial People's Government.
In 1953, Mao Zedong proposed the formulation of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, and also established a Constitution Drafting Committee, of which Cheng Qian was one of the members. Mao Zedong and his secretary Tian Jiaying studied various constitutional documents of Chinese and foreign constitutional history, and then drafted the first draft of the Constitution in light of China's actual conditions.
In early 1954, the first draft of the Constitution was submitted to the commissioners for discussion. Cheng Qian and his secretary Yang Shenzhi, forgot to eat and sleep, studied the draft constitution, and discussed it word by word.
Cheng Qian believes that the rule of law is superior to the rule of man, this is a common sense, ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign, there is no discovery of a perfect person, if the bad people are in power, there is no legal restraint and supervision, the consequences are unimaginable.
After eight months, Cheng Qian and his secretary reported their opinions, which attracted Mao Zedong's attention. Later, Liu Shaoqi wrote a "Report on the Draft Constitution of the People's Republic of China" based on everyone's opinions, and later, Cheng Qian found that all of his suggestions were absorbed and adopted.
Regarding the major affairs of the national economy and the people's livelihood, Cheng Qian has always been very frank and has never considered personal interests and losses.
In 1955, Mao Zedong also proposed to award Chen Mingren the rank of general, and Chen Mingren's family was cared for and cared for by the Communist Party.
In the early summer of 1957, a Kuomintang general who had participated in the Changsha Uprising found Cheng Qian and complained because he had not been awarded a military rank; Cheng Qian solemnly said that he did not compete for a position, the Communist Party did not cross the river and demolish the bridge, and I did not tear down the bridge by the river. We cannot go against the original intent of the uprising at that time. After the uprising, we should do more good things for the people, not compete for merit and rewards.
The old general was on crutches and his face was angry, and the people who came could only leave in sorrow, never daring to mention the matter again.
Although Mao Zedong attached great importance to Cheng Qian, at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Mao Zedong was very cautious about the placement of Cheng Qian. Once, he found Cheng Qian's assistant and wanted to ask how to place Cheng Qian properly? The assistant conveyed Mao Zedong's idea to Cheng Qian, who was very touched, saying that no matter how Mao Zedong arranged it, he would gladly obey.
In order to let Cheng Qian understand the situation before taking office, Mao Zedong also brought confidential documents for Cheng Qian to look at and ask for his opinion, and Cheng Qian was very moved, saying that he had followed Chiang Kai-shek for so many years and had never seen secrets, and now Chairman Mao trusted me like this, which he never expected.
Mao Zedong was also very concerned about Cheng Qian's subordinates, and he knew that Cheng Qian's military and political circles, there were many old departments, and if there was any need, they should try to arrange it.
Mao Zedong was also particularly concerned about Cheng Qian's work and life, because Cheng Qian had positions in Beijing and Changsha, and Mao Zedong prepared houses for Cheng Qian in Beijing and Changsha respectively, so that he could live at both ends. Mao Zedong also did not allow Cheng Qian to engage in specific work, but only participated in important meetings and lived a good old age.
In 1958, Mao Zedong went to Hunan to inspect, where Cheng Qian had been governor for four years; Cheng Qian, on the grounds that Beijing and Hunan were too far apart to take care of each other, requested to resign as governor of Hunan and let young people do it.
Mao Zedong laughed, and he let Cheng Qian live in Beijing for half a year and Hunan for half a year. He said to Cheng Qian: "You are highly respected, or it is advisable for you to serve as the governor of the province." ”
In 1958, he criticized the "pompous wind" and the "communist wind", and he had disapproved of the construction of the Liling Guanzhuang Reservoir as not cost-effective; he said that he was born there, and he knew best whether this place should build a reservoir or not. This is not a matter of personal self-interest, it is a matter of brutality and scientific controversy.
In 1961, Puyi was released, Mao Zedong specially used his hometown dishes to entertain him, Cheng Qian, Wang Jifan, Zhang Shizhao and other people as accompaniment, Mao Zedong treated Puyi with sincerity, sincerity, and gave great attention to Puyi's daily life, which gave Cheng Qian a deep impression, he realized from Mao Zedong's attitude toward democrats and old social figures that communists are really long-term friends who "treat each other with all their hearts and guts, and share honor and disgrace".
In December 1963, on Mao Zedong's 70th birthday, Cheng Qian wrote 12 seven-law poems to congratulate him, expressing his great trust in Mao Zedong and other Communists.
From 1954 to 1968, Cheng Qian served as governor of Hunan Province. He was the person who held this position for the longest time since the Xinhai Revolution.
During Cheng's tenure, he was diligent and earnest, and he had to be personal in everything. He has great respect for the opinions of the State Council and the Hunan Provincial CPC Committee, and he will personally revise some important meeting documents, and every once in a while, he will invite the responsible persons of various departments and bureaus in Hunan to make reports and put forward his own views. However, he did not intervene with those who did practical work at the grass-roots level, and even if they had different opinions, he consulted with everyone.
Cheng Qian was worried about the country and the people, dared to speak out, in 1967, he once wrote a poem to Ming Zhi:
"Past generations" have been long and deep, and the time has been spent in the dust and dust, and the ambition is not to be named and courageous, and the sincere expression of the country is frank.
This is the heartfelt words and heartfelt confession of an octogenarian. On April 5, 1968, Cheng died of illness. He died on December 31, 2012 at the age of 8
This article commemorates the great leaders Chairman Mao and General Cheng Qian.